The present invention relates to a tape cartridge.
Tape cartridges have write protect structure which makes it possible to block information recording onto magnetic tapes when users so desire. The write protect structure has, for example, a write protect member capable of sliding horizontally or vertically. In such conventional write protect structure, the tape cartridges set to be in an unrecordable state may once again be put in a recording state, which allows data rewrite according to need (see, e.g., JP 2004-95069 A).
The propriety of recording is determined by, for example, inserting a detection member of a drive into a sensor hole formed on a case and detecting the position of the write protect member. For example, when the detection member with a specified length is inserted into the sensor hole, recording is determined to be possible if the detection member comes into contact with the write protect member, whereas recording is determined to be impossible if the detection member does not come into contact with the write protect member.
A type of tape cartridges in which rewrite access is inhibited upon breaking of a pawl has also been known.
However, in the conventional tape cartridges having a slidable write protect member, it is possible to allow data rewrite by putting the tape cartridges in an unrecordable state and then putting them once again in a recordable state, but it is impossible to prevent falsification of recorded data. In the type of the tape cartridges in which rewrite access is inhibited upon breaking of a pawl, it is not possible to put the tape cartridges in a recording state once the pawl is broken, and therefore it is not possible to temporarily put the tape cartridges in an unrecordable state and then put them once again in a recordable state when needed.